Ubuntu 9.04: External and internal speaker issues

If you run Ubuntu 9.04 and your desktop or laptop is featured with both internal speaker and TRS jacks for external speakers, then you might face some issues that sound is played on both. I have written some articles where I propose some very simple solutions and you may try them and choose the one you like most.

Of course, I discarded any inappropriate solutions that were proposed in several forums: editing mysterious configuration files,recompiling the kernel and unplugging the internal speaker from the motherboard.

There are much simpler approaches. First, let play some of your favorite songs to observe if the proposed changes really reflect the audio configuration.

Issue 1: Does master volume really work?

Click on the volume icon that uses to be placed on the right of the top bar on your Ubuntu desktop. Slide the bar and observe if music gets more or less louder. If nothing happens, then there will no common control for both internal and external speakers, unfortunately.

Solution: Right-click the volume icon and select “Preferences”. Ensure that the first line display the option that contains “Alsa Mixer”. Then select “Master mono” or “Headset”. Now the slide bar will control the volume of your internal or external speaker. It will control only one of them, but not both. It is not ideal, but less inconvenient than controlling nothing. If you now a better solution, please leave me a note.

Right-click the volume icon and select “Mixer” or “Volume Control” (may vary on according to your language). The mixer dialog opens. Click on “Preferences”. Disable “Master”. The master volume slide bar will disappear. Ensure that “Headset” and “Master mono” is enabled. Now you might control the volume of both internal and external speaker independently through the mixer dialog. Just note that if your have an external speaker connected to the external jack, then the slide bar for “Headset” is actually changing volume of your speaker.